Radio Interference

[Radiofan51]

I am due to upgrade to fibre broadband next week. My current download speed is 2.6Mb. I have received a BT Smart Hub 2 and it is ready and waiting for the engineers. My only worry is that the installation, particularly the PSU (power supply unit) may cause interference on my amateur radio gear. Ham radio forms a big part of my life since my retirement and I have heard tales of some fellow radio amateurs suffering major problem with interference  from their fibre broadband. Others tell me they have no problems. I would like to know whether the PSU for the Smart Hub 2 complies with the relevant regulations regarding interference/noise and whether others with a similar interest in short wave radio have encountered such problems.

[imjolly · Accepted solution]

why don't you just plug in the hub and find out - no need to have it connected to internet to see if electrical interference

[Radiofan51]

Thank you. I checked it & it is fine.

[Paul608085]

With just about everything these days using a Switched Mode Power Supply, I doubt if one more would make a lot of difference!

By "fibre broadband", do you mean FTTC or FTTP? If the former, then I would have thought that there would be a greater potential for your transmissions to interfere with the broadband rather than the other way around.

What amateur bands are you operating on, and where are your aerials in relation to the telephone line?

[Radiofan51]

Thank you. I operate on 80 metres with a coax fed dipole about 20 metres away. I have a Bushcomm folded dipole which is coax fed about 30 metres away. It covers 40 to 10 metres.  I have full wave quad loops on 17, 15 and 10 metres each coax fed and about 12 metres away. I have two 200ft long wires which run from two separate chimneys  trailing near the house wall. I use these via an ATU on 160 ( a band I don't use much). I live out in teh country and teh noise level is very low indeed. The phone line is at right angles to the coax feeders mostly about 2 metres away from the part of the house where the antennas   come out of the shack. 

[mdjdevon12]

My BT smart hub 2 interferes with the radio with a rapid ticking noise.  I have checked the ADSL filter by substitution.  

I have also checked 17070 for ' quiet line' which is completely silent.  The radio interference disappears when the hub is switched off.  Any suggestions please?

[DavidM]

Hi @mdjdevon12 and welcome to our community.

You might want to take a look at https://kitz.co.uk/adsl/rein.htm for advice on electrical interference. Let me know if that helps.

Cheers

David

[Keith_Beddoe]

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@mdjdevon12 wrote:

My BT smart hub 2 interferes with the radio with a rapid ticking noise.  I have checked the ADSL filter by substitution.  

I have also checked 17070 for ' quiet line' which is completely silent.  The radio interference disappears when the hub is switched off.  Any suggestions please?

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Considering that there are three separate radio transmitters within the Smart Hub 2, plus a number of switching voltage regulators, I am not surprised that it interferes with your radio.

All you can do is to move the radio away from the Smart Hub 2.

This would have nothing to do with your line, or any filters.

[Paul608085]

@mdjdevon12 

When you say that the hub is interfering with the "radio", what sort of "radio" are you talking about? ie long wave, medium wave, VHF/FM or DAB? Is it interfering with "local" stations that are meant to be received in your area, (which are afforded a degree of protection), or are you trying to pick up weaker signals / short wave etc?

[Ribblelancs]

@mdjdevon12 , Suggest you do as @Keith_Beddoe  has posted.

At short distances from the hub power supply there’s a “grey “ area where the field is neither electrostatic, nor electromagnetic. The “theory” is complex.....you need to be a mathematician.

Just keep the radio receiver at least 2 metres away from the power supply....it doesn’t matter which radio bands you use, but watch out for DAB!